Village to work with OWDA on water plant

Tim Busbey Published: September 13, 2006 12:00 AM

By CHRIS KICKDix CommunicationsWEST SALEM Council last week voted to work in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority to plan and design its water treatment plant.The water plant task force members provided information on interest rates and loan repayment time for the two major funding sources, the United States Department of Agriculture and the OWDA.The USDA plan would entail a 30 percent grant and 70 percent loan at an interest rate of 4.75 percent, over a 40-year payback period. Total interest would be $2,120,431.The OWDA could provide a 100 percent loan at 2 percent interest, with a 30-year payback and total interest of $824,979.The estimated cost of the project stands at $4 million. The loan scenarios assume additional grants and loans of $500,000 from a Community Development Block Grant and $150,000 from a CDBG formula grant, a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission and the same amount from an OPWC loan.Recently obtained information also showed the OWDA is willing to loan up to $3 million at 1.5 percent interest, which appears to make it a more attractive funding source.Council later approved a resolution to conduct the planning through the OWDA. The resolution also provides the OWDA assurance that if the project does not proceed through construction, the loan still will be paid back.In other matters, Karl Kanehl of the zoning commission told council of a property where mobile homes, acquired through court evictions or sheriff sales, are being kept for what is believed to be a short time.He (owner) rest assured me that they are not there to be torn apart or dismantled, or left there indefinitely, Kanehl said.Kanehl said zoning does allow for motor truck terminals and semi-trucks, but council questioned if the mobile homes fell under that category, especially since they likely do not have licenses.Mobile homes belong in a mobile home court, Mayor Elmer Toth said. If hes got one, thats one thing. Then hes got two next week hell have three.Council discussed the possibility other residents may see the mobile homes and want to do the same, and the possibility of requiring a temporary holding permit.Council President Dale Klinect questioned if the trailers would leave the property permanently, or if more would later come to replace.Theres two different ways of looking at this, Klinect said. If theyre going to be gone, I dont care. If theyre always going to have two trailers there I think youre going to have a problem on your hands.If they had one of these that was hooked up to a tractor, then I think youre talking about your motor vehicle, said solicitor Mark Altier.Altier and Kate Reagan, village administrator, plan to look further into whether the mobile homes on the property are protected by zoning.In other legislation, council approved a resolution authorizing necessary taxes and certifying them to the county auditor. Approved were 1 mill for the cemetery (outside the 10-mill limit) and 2.4 mills (inside the 10-mill limit) for general fund operations.A land area of just more than 6 acres previously annexed by the village was approved for zoning.Also approved was an ordinance establishing supplemental appropriations within the street fund of $7,100 and $2,000 within the permissive license tax fund.Council will meet again Oct. 11.